Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Murder

This is a collaborative effort, including my mother, and my women's bible study leader Kris.

Christians can have murder in their souls without realizing it. It has always amazed me how much sin a person can still have in his life after becoming a Christian.

We can have serious sin even if we don’t act on it. We are to ‘work out our salvation with fear and trembling.’ We work out Christ’s salvation into our souls, replacing sin with righteousness, and it doesn’t happen overnight.

With regards to murder, there is a movie, I don't remember the name, where a guy murders his girlfriend because she has an abortion. He's supposed to be some kind of Christian. I thought that movie was not far off base. That could happen to a person who professed to believe in Christ if he or she did not come to terms with the passions stirring in the blood.

In Exodus 20, God says, you shall not murder, but Jesus came along and said that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. He said if anyone is even angry with his brother it is the equivalent of murder. I believe he is talking about a certain kind of anger. He is talking about anger that stems from an ungodly hatred. There is a godly form of anger.

Matthew 5: 21-23

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother[b]will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,[c]' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Holding back forgiveness is also a form of murder.

How to know if you have murder in your soul:

1. You like to watch violence2. You have an excessive enjoyment of murder mysteries and stories3. You have thoughts pop into your head, like slicing someone, or slamming them with a log4. You can’t control your anger5. People irritate you constantly 6. You can’t forgive someone for something they did to you, and your thoughts of hatred and anger won’t go away7. You like to hurt or even kill animals, just for the sake of killing8. You hurt people with your words9. You are physically abusive10. You get impatient excessively and constantly11. You lack drive or incentive12. You want to die13. You talk about people behind their backs

How to end the problem of murder

First, how not to end it

1. Don’t lash yourself like Martin Luther did before he discovered grace, to pay for your sins – ha!2. Don’t tell yourself over and over, “I will not hate, I will not be angry!”3. Don’t read self help books.4. Don’t go to a psychologist, or do this alone for help.5. Don’t commit actual murder – just kidding.6. Don’t do everything short of murder and then tell yourself it’s OK because you haven’t murdered anyone.

What to do

1. Go to Christian counselors or a pastor and confess your sin. . Let them know you have a problem and confess before God and pray to end the sin. 2. Take communion either corporately or privately and use it to receive God’s grace and power to overcome your sin.3. Find scriptures that deal with this problem and have them ready to confess out loud during the day.4. Find books by Christians on this topic

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Do not become enslaved again by the yoke of bondage.” Gal 5:1

Communion Prayer

Instructions: When you examine yourself for sin, don’t be too introspective. If God doesn’t show you anything, just put the word “anything” in the blank. If he does show you something, don’t try to fix the problem yourself. Confess it and expect God to release you from the power of this sin, and move on. Take communion believing that His grace still belongs to you while you are struggling, and that it has the power to bring you out of sin.

Prayer: Father in heaven, I examine myself today to see if there is anything in me that is displeasing to You. In Jesus name I ask You to forgive me for _______, and to release me from the power of this sin. I break the hold of my judgment against anyone who has hurt me and allow him or her to go free of me. I ask you to forgive me for any part I had in causing this and to cleanse me.

And now we will repeat the words of Jesus as He broke bread with His disciples:

Take, eat, this is my body, like the body of the Lamb eaten by Israel, broken for you to bear your sins, so you may die to sin and live to righteousness. This body heals you of the results of sin, and heals the body. Do this in remembrance of me.

Drink, for this is my blood of the new covenant, not the old covenant of the blood of animals, but the new covenant of the blood of the eternal Lamb of God. This was shed for you to pardon sin, to release you from sin. This blood sets you free from the destruction that sin has caused, and heals the soul. Do this in remembrance of me.

Lord, we remember You and what You have done for us.

Remember, in 1 John 1:9 it says, If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And in Phil. 1:6 it says, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.

3 comments:

I was wondering; the 13 signs you have murder in your heart... are these yours, or are you quoting someone? Because some of these things, for instance, impatience... seem a little far removed from the concept of murder as you describe it here.

Hi Sybil. I'm well, thanks. No doubt it needs more explanation....these are coming from intuition and listening to the Holy Spirit, and from things I've learned from sermons. I am talking about impatience when it's extreme, and when it's constant. We can be impatient with people to the point that it's the opposite of love, you know?